Dental Hygienist Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

A count of all the dental hygienists in the US adds up to about 167,000 positions. The jobless rate for workers is rated as very low. Approximately 1% of employees were not able to obtain work in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Employees are most common (per capita) in Santa Cruz (California), Leominster (Massachusetts), and Corvallis (Oregon), and least common in Farmington (New Mexico), McAllen (Texas), and Lafayette (Louisiana).

Santa Rosa (California), San Francisco (California), and Oakland (California) offer the highest pay for this career, and Gadsden (Alabama), Decatur (Alabama), and Florence (Alabama) offer the lowest salaries.

Training and Education

An associate degree is suggested for those who want to pursue this career. About 33% of employees have earned a degree. Those that started college, but did not earn a bachelor's degree, represent about 64% of dental hygienists. Workers with a high school education, but no college education, are about 3% of the total. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Government stats show that 59% of dental hygienists are working part-time.

Dental Hygienists: An Introductory Video

Dental Hygienists Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of dental hygienists compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for dental hygienists.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Birmingham	$44,000	730
Huntsville	$47,000	320
Mobile	$47,000	270
Montgomery	$43,000	220
Tuscaloosa	$43,000	140
Dothan	$42,000	140
Florence	$31,000	130
Decatur	$37,000	110
Anniston	$39,000	100
Auburn	$45,000	70
Gadsden	$38,000	60

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$94,000	280

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Phoenix	$68,000	2,010
Tucson	$74,000	630
Flagstaff	$70,000	100
Prescott	$74,000	100
Kingman	$74,000	60

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Little Rock	$58,000	430
Fayetteville	$64,000	240
Jonesboro	$58,000	90
Hot Springs	$63,000	40

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Oakland	$98,000	2,180
Santa Ana	$79,000	2,150
Sacramento	$86,000	1,450
San Diego	$84,000	1,440
Riverside	$83,000	1,380
San Francisco	$95,000	1,280
San Jose	$88,000	770
Oxnard	$85,000	580
Fresno	$66,000	380
Santa Rosa	$115,000	360
Santa Cruz	$81,000	320
Stockton	$73,000	300
San Luis Obispo	$83,000	260
Vallejo	$91,000	250
Santa Barbara	$80,000	250
Modesto	$66,000	220
Salinas	$97,000	120
Yuba City	$92,000	110
Visalia	$77,000	110
Merced	$94,000	100
Napa	$97,000	80
Redding	$80,000	70
Hanford	$72,000	50
Madera	$77,000	40

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Denver	$77,000	1,560
Colorado Springs	$64,000	350
Fort Collins	$72,000	300
Boulder	$83,000	270
Grand Junction	$66,000	120
Pueblo	$68,000	50

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Hartford	$70,000	880
Bridgeport	$75,000	780
New Haven	$70,000	460
Norwich	$70,000	290
Danbury	$71,000	230
Waterbury	$72,000	110

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$69,000	460
Dover	$62,000	50

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$79,000	1,990

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Tampa	$58,000	1,130
Miami	$55,000	1,020
Fort Lauderdale	$61,000	1,020
Orlando	$60,000	910
West Palm Beach	$59,000	850
Jacksonville	$57,000	780
Sarasota	$64,000	360
Palm Bay	$70,000	350
Port St Lucie	$57,000	280
Cape Coral	$72,000	270
Deltona	$53,000	230
Ocala	$53,000	190
Tallahassee	$56,000	160
Pensacola	$50,000	150
Lakeland	$62,000	140
Naples	$68,000	130
Sebastian	$60,000	120
Punta Gorda	$64,000	80
Panama City	$57,000	70

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Atlanta	$70,000	3,460
Augusta	$55,000	390
Macon	$51,000	190
Savannah	$61,000	170
Athens	$60,000	140
Columbus	$56,000	130
Warner Robins	$41,000	110
Albany	$43,000	110
Gainesville	$61,000	80
Dalton	$57,000	60
Brunswick	$64,000	40
Rome	$59,000	40

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$63,000	630

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boise	$69,000	480
Idaho Falls	$62,000	130
Pocatello	$61,000	90
Coeur Dalene	$68,000	80
Lewiston	$77,000	40

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Chicago	$66,000	4,320
Peoria	$43,000	300
Rockford	$67,000	230
Bloomington	$47,000	210
Springfield	$56,000	200
Champaign	$58,000	130
Decatur	$59,000	60
Danville	$55,000	40
Kankakee	$69,000	40

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Indianapolis	$71,000	1,230
Fort Wayne	$53,000	410
Gary	$64,000	350
Evansville	$58,000	240
South Bend	$60,000	240
Elkhart	$63,000	160
Kokomo	$61,000	100
Bloomington	$67,000	90
Lafayette	$73,000	80
Muncie	$72,000	70
Columbus	$49,000	60
Anderson	$72,000	50

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Des Moines	$66,000	410
Davenport	$63,000	220
Cedar Rapids	$63,000	150
Dubuque	$55,000	110
Sioux City	$61,000	100
Waterloo	$60,000	80
Iowa City	$50,000	60
Ames	$66,000	60

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Wichita	$59,000	430
Topeka	$71,000	140
Lawrence	$62,000	60

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Louisville	$59,000	780
Lexington	$55,000	310
Owensboro	$53,000	90
Bowling Green	$47,000	60
Elizabethtown	$52,000	50

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New Orleans	$55,000	560
Baton Rouge	$55,000	460
Shreveport		170
Lake Charles	$55,000	140
Houma	$46,000	70
Monroe	$50,000	60
Lafayette	$46,000	40
Alexandria	$53,000	40

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Portland	$62,000	410
Bangor	$51,000	120
Lewiston	$74,000	80

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Baltimore	$73,000	1,350
Bethesda	$69,000	540
Hagerstown	$65,000	130
Salisbury	$75,000	110
Cumberland	$56,000	60

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boston	$79,000	2,080
Springfield	$68,000	640
Worcester	$68,000	600
Barnstable Town	$74,000	310
Framingham	$77,000	300
Lowell	$79,000	270
New Bedford	$68,000	190
Haverhill	$79,000	180
Leominster	$74,000	170
Lawrence	$70,000	140
Brockton	$73,000	120
Pittsfield	$67,000	80
Taunton	$73,000	60

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Warren	$64,000	2,790
Detroit	$62,000	1,260
Grand Rapids	$57,000	800
Lansing	$60,000	530
Flint	$55,000	430
Ann Arbor	$63,000	360
Kalamazoo	$60,000	320
Holland	$61,000	250
Saginaw	$54,000	200
Jackson	$52,000	130
Muskegon	$53,000	120
Bay City	$59,000	100
Monroe	$58,000	100
Niles	$66,000	90
Battle Creek	$55,000	80

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Minneapolis	$70,000	2,840
Duluth	$58,000	180
St Cloud	$69,000	170
Rochester	$65,000	140

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Jackson	$48,000	340
Gulfport	$56,000	110
Hattiesburg	$52,000	110
Pascagoula	$52,000	70

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers
St Louis	$61,000	1,370
Kansas City	$71,000	1,250
Springfield	$57,000	250
Joplin	$57,000	110
Columbia	$62,000	80
St Joseph	$57,000	40

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Billings	$65,000	160
Missoula	$63,000	110
Great Falls	$65,000	30

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$68,000	340
Lincoln	$66,000	210

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$72,000	890
Reno	$77,000	280

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashua	$75,000	270
Manchester	$73,000	270
Rochester	$78,000	110
Portsmouth	$67,000	100

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Edison	$70,000	1,470
Newark	$79,000	1,040
Camden	$74,000	570
Trenton	$69,000	210
Atlantic City	$71,000	150
Ocean City	$74,000	90
Vineland	$62,000	60

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Albuquerque	$75,000	450
Santa Fe	$81,000	70
Farmington	$61,000	30

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New York	$75,000	5,020
Nassau	$69,000	1,930
Rochester	$57,000	950
Buffalo	$52,000	810
Albany	$60,000	660
Syracuse	$56,000	500
Poughkeepsie	$68,000	380
Binghamton	$50,000	210
Utica	$60,000	190
Kingston	$67,000	120
Glens Falls	$64,000	80
Elmira	$51,000	60
Ithaca	$57,000	40

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charlotte	$66,000	1,000
Raleigh	$64,000	770
Greensboro	$56,000	490
Durham	$64,000	360
Winston Salem	$67,000	340
Asheville	$55,000	280
Wilmington	$66,000	230
Fayetteville	$55,000	180
Rocky Mount	$56,000	110
Jacksonville	$60,000	100
Greenville	$65,000	80
Goldsboro	$63,000	60

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Fargo	$58,000	250
Bismarck	$57,000	100
Grand Forks	$50,000	60

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Cleveland	$61,000	1,420
Cincinnati	$65,000	1,410
Columbus	$69,000	1,180
Toledo	$56,000	560
Dayton	$59,000	450
Akron	$62,000	390
Youngstown	$53,000	350
Canton	$59,000	160
Lima	$54,000	90
Mansfield	$64,000	80
Springfield	$63,000	50
Sandusky	$60,000	50

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Oklahoma City	$57,000	660
Tulsa	$65,000	450
Lawton	$57,000	40

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Portland	$78,000	2,120
Eugene	$74,000	320
Salem	$75,000	240
Medford	$74,000	160
Corvallis	$75,000	100

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Philadelphia	$63,000	2,540
Pittsburgh	$52,000	1,680
Allentown	$55,000	510
Lancaster	$55,000	370
Scranton	$48,000	270
Harrisburg	$57,000	270
York	$53,000	210
Reading	$61,000	200
Williamsport	$53,000	70
Johnstown	$52,000	70
State College	$50,000	70
Altoona	$51,000	60
Lebanon	$55,000	50

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$68,000	890

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Columbia	$55,000	470
Charleston	$54,000	420
Greenville	$50,000	360
Myrtle Beach	$50,000	220
Spartanburg	$52,000	170
Anderson	$55,000	160
Florence	$51,000	110
Sumter	$49,000	60

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$63,000	200

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashville	$53,000	720
Memphis	$54,000	670
Knoxville	$58,000	460
Chattanooga	$57,000	330
Kingsport	$55,000	200
Johnson City	$61,000	130
Clarksville	$60,000	110
Cleveland	$52,000	60

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Houston	$68,000	2,370
Dallas	$70,000	2,200
San Antonio	$64,000	920
Fort Worth	$73,000	810
Austin	$73,000	760
Beaumont	$61,000	230
Corpus Christi	$55,000	180
El Paso	$51,000	170
Longview		130
Tyler	$56,000	120
Killeen	$73,000	110
Mcallen	$56,000	110
Brownsville	$60,000	100
Waco	$63,000	80
Texarkana	$51,000	80
College Station	$67,000	80
Wichita Falls	$58,000	70
Amarillo	$51,000	70
Odessa	$57,000	70
Victoria	$55,000	70
Abilene	$67,000	60
Midland	$70,000	60

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$65,000	710
Provo	$66,000	390

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$58,000	260

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Richmond	$67,000	690
Virginia Beach	$69,000	650
Roanoke	$62,000	230
Lynchburg	$63,000	100
Blacksburg	$61,000	90
Harrisonburg	$66,000	70
Winchester	$58,000	70
Danville	$62,000	50

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Seattle	$94,000	2,400
Tacoma	$85,000	490
Spokane	$73,000	340
Bremerton	$93,000	230
Olympia	$89,000	190
Yakima	$84,000	170
Bellingham	$88,000	170
Kennewick	$91,000	140
Wenatchee	$91,000	90
Mount Vernon	$86,000	80
Longview	$75,000	40

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charleston	$50,000	140
Huntington	$50,000	120
Wheeling	$45,000	110
Parkersburg	$49,000	90
Weirton	$48,000	60
Morgantown	$52,000	60

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Milwaukee	$60,000	1,480
Madison	$63,000	590
Green Bay	$59,000	300
Appleton	$62,000	230
La Crosse	$59,000	170
Racine	$61,000	130
Eau Claire	$59,000	130
Oshkosh	$56,000	120
Wausau	$57,000	110
Fond	$57,000	110
Sheboygan	$62,000	60

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Casper	$56,000	70

Our dental hygienist career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.